Hurricane
by redrccm
Summary: High School AU: After her parents die in a fire caused by the mayor of the town she lives in. The years pass and she is determined to avenge her parents' death. When the son of the mayor starts approaching her, she sees her opportunity to get revenge, but will the growing feelings for Steve stop her from achieving the main goal she's had in her life since she was a kid?
1. Chapter 1

'I'm the violence in the pouring rain  
I'm a hurricane'

-Hurricane; Halsey

 **~X~**

The flames made her eyes shine with a fiery red colour. Tears welled up in them and rolled down her cheeks, dirty with the ashes. But she didn't even realize she was crying, she was too shocked for that. All she could do was stare whilst standing next to the fireman. She heard the the fire crackling, it sounded just like the fireplace. It was just a matter of time until both her parents walked out and hugged her. She was so young, who could blame her. After all, her dreams slowly turned to ashes and she could do nothing to stop that.

"NO! MOM! DAD! MOM! DAD!" Natasha screamed at the top of her lungs as the firemen drove them away. The tears multiplied as she realised, it was a desperate sadness, a desperate cry. The men and women in the truck with her tried to calm her down, but her sobs were endless, she refused to let them go.

Natasha sat in the cold examination room and for the first time she felt completely alone. There was that feeling she couldn't shake off, she was hoping they would walk through the hospital doors and take her home. It was all a bad dream. That's what she kept telling herself.

But she never woke up from that nightmare. Not when she went into the adoption system, not during the three years she spent there.

When she was six a man named Ivan adopted her. Living with him made her feel like life wasn't so bad after all.

 **~X~**

11 years later

No one seemed to care about what happened that night. If the people of the town knew what happened, they chose to ignore it, to believe the fire had been an accident. But still, for no reason at all, the people who went to her school spread the rumour that she was the arsonist. Of course it wasn't true, but it was an excuse for them to exclude her. And it stuck with her. She knew it was the mayor who'd done it, she knew he hated her parents because her father was running for mayor would have won the election had he not died.

But they all forgot. And just like that the memory of her parents faded.

Living with Ivan was hard, he was a very demanding man, he would accept nothing but perfection from Natasha because he knew she could achieve it. She too had perfect grades, straight As. Even though her parents had left an inheritance, he wanted her to get a scholarship for one of the Ivy League colleges, so she was part of the gymnastics club, the best gymnast they had. She'd even gone to international competitions once. All those experiences she had when she went on competitions outside the city made Natasha hate the place even more. She hated the school and she hated the quiet streets, she hated the same old people who would look at her with disgust and she counted the days until the SAT so she could leave that hellhole.

But of all the people, she nurtured a special hatred for the mayor's son. He was about her age, 17 years old. And he was charismatic, he was handsome, had good grades, was the captain of the football team, he was popular, had the perfect life and looked just like his father. He had all she could've had but didn't because of his father.

 **~X~**

She slammed her locker door, her books on one arm and her backpack on her shoulder. She walked with decided steps towards the chemistry lab. The beginning of the year was always tough, new schedules, new teachers, new lab partners, but old students. She hated it. Especially the lab part. Natasha felt the gazes of all the students there, they burned holes on her skin, after all those years one thought she would have gotten used to it, but it still bothered her.

Her first class was chemistry and she was the first one to arrive at the classroom, so she got to choose where she wanted to seat. Natasha chose a seat on the second row, so she could pay attention to the teacher without receiving much attention herself. Slowly, the classroom started to fill up, friends chatted and talked about their summer whilst Natasha texted her friend who lived in a city nearby, Clint.

'So, Nat, any cute boys around there?' he teased.

'Come on, Clint, it's just the same old people." she replied.

'Same here.' she could almost hear him sigh.

 _I wished you and I went to the same school…_ she typed but deleted right after.

'Gotta go, class starting.' She locked the phone.

She sank in her thoughts, but was suddenly forced back into reality by the sound of the chair by her side being pulled. Natasha lazily moved her head to see who was going to be her partner that year and her eyes widened when she found out that the one sitting by her side was no one but Steve Rogers.

"Hey… Natasha, is it?" He asked with a kind smile that just made her want to punch him.

But his smile didn't matter to her, nothing mattered. That was what she wanted for so many years, her chance to get back at the mayor. Starting by his most prized possession, his son.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"No, of course not. And yes, I'm Natasha. You're Steve, right?" Natasha smiled at him sweetly.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" He asked.

"Help yourself." She ran a hand through her red curls and looked to the front of the class, the teacher had just entered the room.

"Hello, I'm mr. Coulson. I'll be your new chemistry teacher this year." The man wrote his name in huge letters on the blackboard and then turned to face the class. "That's all you need to know about me, so, let's begin, this is going to be a long year and the sooner we get started the faster the time will pass."

Natasha ran a hand through her hair and copied every single word and formula he wrote, she could see from the corner of her eye that Steve was doing the same, peeking every now and then at her notes to fill in the blank of his.

"It's almost the end of the class, so I'm going to say one last thing, I hope you are happy with who you sat with today, they will be your partner for the rest of the year." He gathered a couple of papers from his desk but then looked at them again, "Unless I decide the pairs aren't productive. Good luck with the rest of your day."

Natasha bit her lip for a moment, she would be Steve Rogers' partner for the rest of the year huh? Interesting.

"Well, I'm looking forward to working with you, Natasha." Steve smiled as he gathered his material.

"So am I." She got her backpack and left the classroom before he did.

 **~X~**

The bell rang for the last time that day, marking the time she loved the most, the gymnastics practice. She ran to the gymnasium where the teacher was happy to see her. Perhaps the one person who actually liked to see Natasha was Anna, the teacher. She did the stunts and backflips and used the equipments perfectly outshining the other girls, who looked at her with contempt. They whispered about her, about the girl who didn't fit in, the one who'd killed her parents. They didn't talk to her in the locker room, sometimes they even cut her clothes while she showered and wrote insults, 'arsonist', 'slut', 'whore'... it happened countless times before she finally learned to wait for them to leave before going in herself, the teacher trusted her to lock up the place, so she always the last one to leave.

When she was done, she went to the locker room, showered and got her bag. She had the keys to her car on one hand and her bag on her shoulder. From far away, she could hear the practice of the football team just as everyday but, this time, she was curious and she walked up to the field for the first time in forever she sat on the benches and watched - from the last row and as quietly as she could - the boys play.

Natasha noticed it was getting dark and started to leave, when she was almost out of their vision field, she heard him call her.

"Hey, Natasha!" Steve walked up to her, "I thought we were the only ones in the school."

"Oh, hi, Steve. Well, I'm on the Gymnastics Team and was practicing a bit longer." She shrugged, "Well, I have to go now, it was very nice meeting you."

Natasha turned her back on him and started walking to her car when she heard.

"See ya, Nat." His voice was so cheerful and made her cringe. She had to force herself not to stop and she had to try really hard not to show her disgust when he called her that.

Natasha longed for the comfort of her room or even the one of her car, a place where she could let everything go and not worry about Steve or anyone else. She put the keys in the ignition and turned the radio on. Before she left, she reached for her bag and touched the small package. No, she shouldn't be doing that, it had already been almost six months... but her body screamed for it. So she opened the window and lit a cigarette. Then she took off.

It tasted like death and burned her lungs, but she loved that sensation. Smoking was the one thing she wasn't allowed to do, so it felt different to be break a rule every now and then. She parked her car in the garage, Ivan's car wasn't there, but she had already grown used to that, living with him was almost like living by herself.

She went to her room, she studied and finished the little homework she had to do. She made herself a sandwich and locked herself in her room again. She laid on the bed and started eating. Natasha put some music on the speakers as if it would block her thoughts and the outside world. She really didn't want any contact with those.

Natasha had another shower before she went to bed. But she couldn't sleep, she kept thinking of what happened that day. Steve seemed like such a nice guy, it was a shame she couldn't say the same about his father. She shook her head as if to make those thoughts go away. If she really wanted her plan to work, then she had to be ruthless.

She had to begin the destruction of the mayor's life right away and that meant approaching Steve.

Natasha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she was finally falling asleep, she heard her phone beep. She reached for it and checked the screen. 'You have a new Friend Request'. She unlocked the phone and went into Facebook. That was weird, she didn't have any friends there but the people from the town near hers.

It was Steve. She sat on the bed.

"What the…" She groaned, she tapped the accept option and laid back on the bed. That night, she almost didn't sleep.

 **~X~**

The next morning, Natasha was waiting for the english teacher in the room by herself when Steve sat by her side.

"Hey, Nat." He smiled, "Good morning."

"Hey, Steve." She smiled back. Was he following her or something? "How are you?"

"I'm fine and you?"

"Same." She shrugged.

"Well, I'm throwing a party at my house this weekend, my dad is on a business trip." Steve said, "Please, come."

Natasha raised a brow and smiled, "Count me in."

"I will." The smiled on his face was one of child-like joy and told her that he had never hosted a party before. He placed his books on the table where he was sitting, apparently he was planning to stay.

"Hey, Steve." She said ignoring the looks of hate that came from all the girls in the class, "If you need any help with the party, just ask."

"Okay." He nodded.

There were still 4 days until the party, more than enough for her to get more familiar with Steve.

Natasha sighed and asked herself. Why Steve of all people was talking to her? He was supposed to hate her just like everyone else and not be trying to befriend her like he was doing, especially because of his father. But he was a good guy - and that was something she thought she'd never say about him. And that was when she realised that perhaps not everyone hated her, perhaps there was this one person who didn't mind her being there and didn't want to make her life a living hell. Even if that person was the son of the mayor.

But why was she thinking that? She shouldn't be thinking that. She could help him with the party, being allowed to enter his house was the beginning of her plan. Of her revenge.

 **~X~**

She sat at her desk organizing her notes when she got a message.

"Hey, Nat." It was Steve.

She reached for her phone, debating whether to answer the facebook message or not, she chose not to and kept reading the biology book and making some annotations.

"I was wondering if you could help me with the party…" the phone beeped again.

"You see, I've never actually hosted a party before hahaha" there was a third ring. Natasha chuckled, he was hopeless.

Natasha finally decided to answer, "Hey, Steve, of course I'll help you. Just tell me what you need"

"k, I'll message you saturday so you can come over and help."

"Steve are you doing something tomorrow after practice?"

"Nope, why?"

"Well, we could have some ice cream and discuss the details of the party."

"Sure, meet me at the field after practice okay?"

"K."

Natasha ended the conversation with that. After that, she gave up on studying, she had something bigger in mind. She had to win his trust, she needed to hold him in the palm of her hand. So she could tear his family apart from the inside and make the mayor regret the day he was born.


	2. Chapter 2

" _And there's a storm you're starting now  
And there's a storm you're starting"_

 _-Halsey, Hurricane_

 **~X~**

Natasha closed her eyes and let the ice cold water wash down her body, her muscles were tense at first, but as she grew used to the feeling, she started to relax. Those moments, when she was alone and the water trickled on her ears, when she could hear or see or feel nothing but the water, those were the only moments in her life when she felt peace. True peace. Plus, water was the one thing keeping her away from the flames, from the feeling of the fire she could feel burning her skin when she was still for too long.

She moved and washed her hair slowly, lazily, she had time. She washed her body and turned off the water. Natasha wrapped her naked body on the towel, it felt warm after such a cold shower. Too warm. She let it fall to the ground and stood there, alone in the locker room all naked, allowing herself to air-dry. She took a deep breath and started moving, she reached for her bag and checked the time on her phone. She had 30 minutes to get ready. Natasha started to get dressed after her body adjusted to the temperature. She put on shorts and a tight crop top with a loose coat over it. It was a cool outfit, not too hot, not too cold, perfect for the weather of the beginning of autumn.

She got her bag and her gym bag and walked to her car. Natasha threw her gym bag on the trunk and walked to the place where the boys were playing football. As usual, she climbed to the last seat and put on her headphones, playing a deafening music. She had a weird music taste, that was mainly formed by artists no one knew about. She closed her eyes and just let the music play, humming along softly. About 5 songs had passed when she felt someone touch her shoulder.

Natasha opened her eyes and moved away abruptly without even seeing who it was. It was a reflex. She looked at Steve and took her headphones off.

"Calm down, Nat." He chuckled, "It's just me."

"I'm sorry," She laughed a little embarrassed by her own reaction. She ran a hand through her hair quickly and shrugged, "Reflex."

"Hah, it's fine." He smiled, "I just finished practice, I'm going to have a shower and then I'll meet you here again. Okay?"

"Sure, I'll wait for you by my car, okay?"

"Sounds good."

She let Steve climb down first as she put her things back into her bag and checked if she wasn't forgetting anything. Natasha stood for two or three seconds more looking over the field. It was very high and she was able to watch almost the entire town. And she realised that no matter how slow life might seem to be, it was even slower to watch it from afar. She chuckled at that conclusion and started to make her way down.

For one to go out the field, they had to pass by the men's locker room. And she could hear a little of what they talked about.

' _Hey, Steve, what are you doing talking to that girl?'_ One of the guys asked.

' _Yeah, man, she's such a weirdo, she has no friends. I heard she's a drug addict. Someone told me that they saw her doing drugs under the bleaches.'_ Another one said.

' _Shut up, guys.'_ Steve said, ' _She's not like that...'_

' _Word is she was the one who murdered her parents. An arsonist, they say.'_

' _You barely know the chick, Rogers. I mean, she's really hot, but I'm not sure I'd tap that. She gives me the chills, dude. Besides, I heard she's a slut, a whore, Tracy told me she saw her getting money from a man inside a car.'_

' _I might not know her_ that _well, but I was raised better to know I shouldn't judge anyone based on rumors. You can think whatever you want of her, but don't try to convince me of this bullshit you heard on the hallways. People lie. You should know, right, Buck?'_

' _Oh, shut up, Rogers.' One of the boys - probably Buck - answered, 'When you get burned, don't tell me I didn't warn you.'_

Natasha blinked. She was surprised. Though she knew what people thought of her, hearing it was different. The boys were cruel. But then, so were the girls and everyone else who lived in that town. But more than that, she was surprised to hear Steve defending her. She already knew he didn't hate her, he did talk to her after all, but it was still a surprise.

She walked away as fast as she could and stopped at her car, doing the best she could to let what she just heard go. She succeeded at that by doing mental calculations, it always worked. Natasha sat on the hood of the car and waited for Steve. It really didn't take him long to get there.

"Shall we go?" He asked.

"Yup." She nodded.

"Nat?"

"Yeah."

"Brian gave me a ride to school today, so… do you mind if we take your car?"

"Of course not, Steve. Hop in." She unlocked the car and climbed into the driver's seat. Natasha turned on the radio, her iPod connected to it.

"Whoa, is this Wolves and the Water? I love this song!"

"Really? I thought only I listened to it." Natasha laughed. But then, she didn't know anyone else, so she had no parametres.

"Me too. Apparently, I was wrong."

He smelled like only he smelled, but with a hint of old spice deodorant. His hair was still wet and she could see the small droplets of water glistening when the sunlight hit them, she noticed as she parked.

The ice cream shop was near the school, so it didn't take them long to get there. Natasha chose a cone with two flavours, orange and dark chocolate, steve chose cookies and cream in the cup. When she was going to pay, Steve got in the way and, despite all her protests, paid for her.

"You really didn't have to do that." She said as she licked the bottom flavour.

"Come on, Natasha, it was nothing." Steve laughed.

"Whatever." She laughed, "We should get to business though."

"Okay." He said taking the spoon out of his mouth, He looked at her for a moment while her lips touched the top of the first ball of ice cream, Steve cleared his throat, "So, I was planning on inviting all of the school, my house is big enough, so it's not going to be a problem. What do I need to have?"

"Food, drinks and good music. Those are the basics. For the food, any sort of snacks will do, as for the drinks, alcohol. Lots of alcohol. I can't really help you with the music though, you'll have to ask one of your friends."

"Alcohol…" He muttered.

Natasha ate some more ice cream, she licked the sides because it was starting to melt. "Yup, alcohol, if you want me to, I can provide it, we can even go shopping together." She smiled, "You'll throw the best party of the year."

"Yeah, sure." He chuckled.

They finished their ice cream and Natasha went to the bathroom she washed her hands and her face. When she was done, she placed both hands on the sides of sink and took a deep breath, she looked at her face on the mirror of the dark place. She could see flames behind her and she felt the knot on her throat tighten, so she washed her face with the cold water again and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a second and left the bathroom.

"Let's go?" Natasha put on a fake smile.

"Yeah." Steve smiled back.

She drove him home, they didn't talk much, but the silence wasn't _that_ uncomfortable for either of them. Natasha dropped him off at his place, at the front door despite her being hesitant of being seen by the mayor. His wife was waving at the door, it was just like a movie scene, the perfect house in the perfect neighbourhood with the perfect family. Except that a small purple bruise on the woman's face almost perfectly covered with makeup gave away an imperfection, a rather large one.

Natasha waited for Steve to go into the house before taking off. She caught a small glimpse of what was going on inside the place. The woman cried and Steve hugged her. Natasha bit her lip and drove away fast, as if she was trying to forget about what she had just seen. As she got to know more about him and about his life, the more she hated the mayor and the more she liked his family. Just to know that they weren't like him, it was somewhat of a relief, but it made her mad. The influence of that despicable man made her cringe.

The redhead stopped at a gas station and filled the tank, then she went into the convenience store and bought herself a bottle of vodka with her fake id. She put her stuff in the car and went back to the house. She laid on the bed and closed her eyes, she was safe, she was home, she was in her bedroom, but she couldn't forget, she couldn't escape her demons.

There it was again, the knot in her throat, the shortness of breath. She tried to calm down, to find something familiar to hold on to, to end the panic attack that was to come before it even started.

She took slow deep breaths and reassured herself.

 **~X~**

She woke up with a sharp intake of breath. Natasha looked to her side, she had fifteen minutes to get to school.

As fast as she could, Natasha had a shower, brushed her teeth, put on her clothes, gathered her material and left. As she drove past the streets, she took notice of the persistent pounding in her head.

Natasha sat on the hard wooden chair for a long time just waiting for the lunch break. She wouldn't skip any classes, Ivan would kill her if she did so, she took an aspirin and she was good to go.

By the time of lunch, she felt like dying, so, instead of going to the cafeteria, she went outside and sat under the bleachers, she leaned on one of the posts of it and just wished it would all go away. The sky was grey and the wind was chilly. She closed her eyes and pressed her knees to her chest and started to think of what she had seen the day before. About the purple mark on Steve's mum and her crying and then Steve holding her.

He was a good guy, whilst the mayor, wasn't. She guessed he was raised by his mum, because he didn't act like his father. She found a flaw in the perfect cover the mayor had, but it was so perfectly hidden, it would be really hard to expose it. After all, it wasn't like she could just go around and tell everyone, they would never believe her.

The wind cut her skin and the only sound was of the leaves that fell from the trees. She looked up and saw Steve approaching.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Feel free." She nodded.

He sat by her side. He looked at her and then looked away, staring at nothing in particular, just like she was doing moments before.

They sat there in silence until lunch break was over. Natasha wouldn't dare to tell him what she saw the day before, she knew it to be a delicate matter, a private aspect of his life and she didn't want to seem like she was intruding. Besides, even if in silence, having company was a good feeling.

When with Clint, she'd always enjoyed those moments.

 **~X~**

She wiped the sweat away from her face as she locked the door behind her. She went to the kitchen and got a bottle of cold water out of it. She sat on the counter and took deep breaths.

"Hello, Ivan." Natasha said when she heard him approaching from behind her.

"Natalia!" She could hear his smile and couldn't help but smile too.

"How was your trip?" She got down the counter and turned to face him.

"The same as always. No one listens to me."

"Huh, they won't listen until all you say comes true."

"I bet." Ivan shrugged.

"Well, I'm going to have a shower and then study. How long are you staying?"

"I'm sorry, Natalia, but I'll have to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Already?" She shighed.

"Yes, unfortunately. I'm going to Russia this time."

"Well, bring me something, then."

"You know I always do." He chuckled, "Now go do what you have to do."

 **~X~**

"Hey, Nat, are you doing anything this afternoon after practice?" Steve popped by her side on the hallway, "I need you to help me study."

"Well, actually, I do have one thing to do, but perhaps you'd care to join me. I think it'd be fun." Natasha replied as they walked together to chem class.

"Oh really? And what would that be?" Steve raised a brow.

"I'm going to the shooting range for an hour. After that we can study, but the shooting range is not in this town."

"Sure, if I'm not going to be a bother."

"Of course not. Then we can go to my place afterwards." Natasha said, "Ivan's not there, so we're good."

"Sure." Steve shrugged and left her alone.

As she opened her locker, she scolded herself, she couldn't believe she was going to show him her safe haven. Maybe she was getting involved too quickly, but how could she not? Having a friend, knowing that perhaps she wasn't completely alone in that small town was reassuring.


	3. Chapter 3

"And I found myself reminded

To keep you far away from me"

-Hurricane, Halsey

~X~

"Who is Ivan?" Steve asked as she drove.

"Oh, he's my legal guardian." Natasha said without taking her eyes off the road, "I guess I should call him my foster father or something like that, but our bond was never really that strong even though he adopted me when I was a kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Natasha replied, "It's not your fault."

The redhead could feel his gaze burning holes on her skin. She bit her lip, but kept driving. Then she decided to ask.

"How is your mom?"

"My mom?" He looked surprised for a second, but then he answered, "Well, she's fine. My dad just travelled yesterday."

Natasha drove a black sports car, a convertible, she turned on the radio and opened the roof of the car. It was a hot afternoon and the wind on her face felt good, it helped her relax. It wasn't often that she opened the roof of the car, she usually did it when she was driving on highways.

They arrived at the shooting range. It was in the middle of nowhere, but there were two other people there, a girl with black hair - Maria - and a boy with blonde hair and very muscular arms - Clint. They were all around the same age, shooting at bottles and birds.

"Clint, Maria, this is Steve. He's… a friend of mine from the town." Natasha introduced him, "Steve, these are Clint and Maria."

Natasha walked to the car and got a bag from the trunk. It was quite heavy by the looks of it, but she carried it with ease. She placed it on the ground and took out a 38 gun and ammo for it. Then she stood next to the other people and started shooting, hitting all the bottles she shot.

"Do you know how to shoot, Steve?" Natasha asked.

"Nope, never had the opportunity to learn."

"Come here." Natasha got him a gun of a smaller calibre and handed it to him. She stood behind him and moved his arms so his position was correct. Natasha felt his muscles tense under her touch.

"There…" She muttered and slowly backed away, "Now shoot."

She heard the soft click of the trigger followed by a loud noise. He missed the bottle and all of them laughed, even Maria and Clint, even though none of them talked much.

The objective of the shooting club was for all of them to let out the stress of the classes and life in general, it was an escape route. So they never talked much, they just shot.

"Do you mind if I try again?" Steve asked. She could tell that he was a bit uncomfortable, that he didn't like guns, but he was trying.

"Go ahead." Natasha answered with a shrug and resumed her exercise.

"Well, guys, I'm off. See you next week." Maria said, "It was nice meeting you, Steve."

"Same." Steve said quietly as he tried - and failed - to hit the target.

"Bye, Maria." Natasha said and Clint just waved.

"Nat, come here for a second, will you?" Clint said and walked to a place a little further from Steve.

"What is it, Clint?" She asked, her voice and her expression were light.

"Isn't that the mayor's son you told me about?" He raised a brow slightly concerned.

"Yes, that's him. And before you say anything, he's not like his father. He's different. I wouldn't say harmless, but different." Her voice was low, "Plus, I found out some more things about his family, his father… well, he beats his wife and probably Steve too."

"Well, that changes things a little bit." Clint sighed, "But please, be careful."

"I will." She gave him a small smile.

"I don't want to lose the best friend spot." He laughed.

Natasha laughed as well, "No one can replace you, Clint. I mean it."

They walked back to the range where Steve had finally managed to hit a bottle.

"I did it." He laughed with child-like joy.

"Well, it's getting late, we should all get going." Natasha started to pack the guns and then she put the bag in the trunk.

"Bye, Clint." Steve said and Natasha flashed him a smile.

Clint smiled back and went to his own car.

They drove away in different directions. It was starting to get dark and the air was no longer warm, it was cold, a cold that bothered her. So she closed the ceiling and her window.

"Now let's go study. Finally." She said.

The ride back seemed to be faster than the one before.

~X~

"Seriously, Steve, call your mom, you can stay here. The house is big and we have plenty of guest rooms. Plus, it's not like Ivan is here or anything."

Natasha yawned, it was getting dark, but they had a test the next morning.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother, Nat."

"Steve, it's not like you're asking me, I'm offering." She sighed.

"If you say so." He got his phone and called his house, "Mom? I'm staying over at a friend's house tonight, we're studying for a test. No, mom. It's Natasha. Yes, she's a girl. No, mom, I'm not dating her. No romance. I know. MOM! I know. I will. Okay, bye. See you tomorrow."

He turned off the phone, "I can stay."

"Okay. I'll go get you some clean clothes. I can wash your clothes and they'll be dry by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Nat." He smiled.

"You're welcome, I'll show you the guest room and get you one of Ivan's pajamas." Natasha stood and he followed her upstairs. "Here's the guest room. You can have a bath or do whatever you have to do."

"Thanks again." He smiled and entered the room.

Natasha went into Ivan's bedroom and got one of his biggest pajamas and some clean underwear, then she went to the room where Steve was staying. Natasha knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Come in." The sound was a little muffled.

Natasha entered the room.

"Here's the pajamas. I'll be downstairs ordering pizza."

She turned her back and closed the door behind her. Natasha went to the kitchen and ordered the pizza. Then she sat back down at the table and continued studying. She didn't know how much time had passed - she usually lost track of time when she was studying - but the food eventually arrived. Natasha opened the front door and got the food.

Steve finally came down, Natasha didn't even have to call him, it was as if he had a timer inside him. But there was one small detail,

"The shirt didn't fit, I spent a long time trying to close it, but well…" Steve shrugged, he held his dirty clothes on one hand, "Where can I put these?"

"Here, let me take them for you. The pizza's here, go and eat something while I was these." Natasha got his clothes and went to the laundry room. The image of his perfectly sculpted abs and arms was astonishing, especially because she was caught unprepared.

And even so, her reaction was uncalled for, it was nothing she hadn't seen before. Well, Natasha didn't really know, there was something about Steve that made him different than her one night tried to absorb those confusing thoughts as she placed the clothes inside the washing machine and put the soap.

She shrugged off that feeling and got back to the kitchen where Steve was eating a piece of the pizza. She got herself a piece and watched his back. It was a very pretty back.

"So, Steve, what exactly are you having trouble with?" Natasha asked.

"You know, Nat… actually, I just wanted to get away from my place for a few hours." Steve looked down.

"Why? What happened?" Natasha asked, she was curious, it was some sort of morbid curiosity and, even though she felt like she didn't have so much intimacy, as if she wouldn't answer those things if Steve asked her about them… Well, she asked anyway.

"Well I… Me and my dad we don't get along very well. And everything in that house reminds me of him. He might be away, but even so… Plus, I don't have the guts to tell my mum that everything is going to be okay when I know it's not." Steve sighed, "My dad, as everyone knows very well is not the kindest person. Nor the wisest. And it shows in his family relationships. He is a violent man, his father died in the Vietnam war and my grandmother sunk in depression. She killed herself and he was left all alone."

Natasha listened to all that interested.

"And what happened to your parents after all? I mean, there's a lot of speculation about it, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"You know what, Steve? I think this is a conversation for another time. We should eat and finish studying."

"Yeah, sure. I guess these things are too heavy to talk about."

Natasha nodded.

~X~

The smell of grass filled her nostrils and a sense of peace and freedom filled her soul. Every fibre of her body tingled with joy. Natasha could feel the sun on her face and the breeze caressing her hair ever so softly. Around her, there was a blue lake and the grass. Small red flowers sprouted near the lake. She walked towards it, longing to feel the water.

When she could feel the water touching her bare feet, Natasha felt a change in the environment, it was the scent. Something was burning. She turned around to see what was happening. The grass had been burned down and the sky, once blue was now grey. The sun shined, small rays breaking through the thick clouds. But it was cold. A cold that got to her bones, one that made every single inch of her body hurt.

"No, no, no, no…" Natasha muttered.

The ground rumbled and shook and started to open beneath her feet. She could see lava, she was struck by a heat wave so hot that it made her dizzy. Thunder, lightning, everything was falling apart and so was she. The girl started to run, but there was nowhere she could go.

She felt her heartbeat quicken and her breaths came quick and heavy. She looked around in despair, hoping to find a way out. The ground was no longer ground, it had become small islands of earth far from each other, Natasha tried to jump, but she fell. The air that came in her lungs burned her trachea and nostrils, the heat burned her back and she could see the surface getting further and further away.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to scream, but nothing came out and the earth closed around her.

She opened her eyes.

Natasha pulled the covers closer to her as if they would help protect her. It was already morning, 6:30, way earlier than she should have woken up, but she didn't mind, she didn't even want to close her eyes anymore. But she did, she closed them tight and felt tears spill down her cheeks.

She just wanted that nightmare to be over. Natasha rolled on the bed and got up. She ran a hand through her hair and stretched. Guessing Steve wouldn't be awake at that hour, Natasha went downstairs and got herself a glass of water. She revised some things for the test and then went back to her room, where she had a shower and put on clean clothes.

Steve's clothes were dry, so she folded them and left them outside his room, making as little noise as possible, she cooked them breakfast. She gathered her books and put them all in her backpack.

A few minutes later, Steve was down. He sat at the counter with her and they discussed the subjects of the test while eating.

"Look, Nat, I'm sorry about last night, I think I said too much and I would appreciate if you kept this between the two of us." Steve said after a moment of silence.

"Steve, your secret is safe with me. I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear." Natasha promised. She looked into his eyes while she said that. Somehow, she felt as if that moment made them closer. No, not only that moment, but the entire previous day, the entire night and Natasha had never felt anything like that before. Perhaps her friendship with Clint, but she stopped considering Clint a friend as long time ago, he was her brother, the closest thing to family she had.

"I'm glad I can trust you, Nat." He smiled shyly.

"I'm glad you trust me." Natasha returned the smile and had another sip of her orange juice, "Well, I think we should get going, I don't want to be late."

She brushed her teeth and grabbed her stuff, Steve did the same thing and they left for school.

As she drove, they didn't speak. But she felt as if they were becoming closer, perhaps too close and Natasha was scared of that. She knew that if she were to hurt the mayor, she would have to gain Steve's trust. And hurting the mayor might mean hurting Steve and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that.

~X~

"Hey, Nat, come sit over here!" Steve shouted from across the cafeteria.

Natasha walked towards him, a little unsure if she should go or not, she had never actually sat with anyone before, let alone one of the most popular guys in school.

And people stared at her, confused, as if the entire world had stopped and gone silent. She knew that wasn't so, but still, she couldn't help but feel that way. She sat at the table by his side. Everyone was talking again and turned away from the weird scene. Everyone but Steve's friends. They were all quiet, staring at her like she was some sort of animal.

"Hi, I'm Tony, Tony Stark. But you probably already know that." The boy whose name she already knew showed up by her side. He seemed to not mind her presence or her past. He had black hair, a goatee and intense and warm brown eyes. He was also known for throwing the best parties in the city. Of course, his dad was the richest man in town.

"I'm Natasha, Natasha Romanoff." She flashed him a small smile, "And I didn't know you and Steve were friends."

"We're not." They both said it at the same time.

"Wow, you either hate each other a lot or there's something going on between you two that I don't know about." Natasha bit her apple.

"You see, I was inviting people to the party yesterday afternoon through facebook and Tony decided to challenge me, we are both throwing parties this year, a lot of them and we'll let people choose who throws the best parties."

Natasha let out a small chuckle, "Really?"

"Yes, parties are very serious business." Tony muttered. "So, Nat, which side are you on?"

"First of all, only friends can call me Nat," She said, not really measuring her words, "And of course I'm on Steve's side."

"Ha! I told you!" Steve exclaimed with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Come on, Romanoff… Please…" Tony flashed her one of his signature smiles.

"Forget it, Stark." She finished her apple and the bell rang.

When she was talking to people, time seemed to pass so much faster, there was something changing in her, something really deep inside her, it was an unfamiliar feeling. Or rather a familiar one, but it was so distant.

'Well' She thought in an attempt to make that feeling go away, 'Steve and I have more important things to worry about now, there's only one more day until the party.'


	4. Chapter 4

" _I let him climb inside my body_

 _And held him captive in my kiss"_

 _-Halsey, Hurricane_

 **~X~**

It wasn't a school day, but she woke up early anyway. She always did wake up early, but that morning there was something more to it. It was the Saturday of Steve's party. The girl looked at her phone and there were ten messages from Steve, who seemed to have woken up two hours earlier than her.

'Nat'

'Nat'

'Nat'

'Nat'

'UGH WAKE UP NATASHA'

'sorry'

'Nat, pls come over when u wake up'

'Its nothing serious'

'Well, it is, so just come over already'

Natasha sighed and typed in

'Sup'

'Good morning to you too, Steve.'

'I'm going to have a shower and then i'll go to ur place.'

'what is it tho?'

Natasha locked the phone screen and left it on the bed. She had a shower and didn't even bother with makeup. She got her purse and checked if she had everything before leaving the place.

When she got there, she parked in front of the house and walked slowly towards the front door. She inspected the place and took in the surroundings. That place wasn't a house, it was a mansion. The outside walls were yellow and the roof was of a dark blue. In front of the house, there was a small iron gate with two small rock walls by each side.

Natasha counted 10 windows on the first floor and 12 on the second. On the second floor there were two enormous balconies.

She got to the front gate and found it unlocked. The hinges were well oiled, so they made no noises when she opened them. She walked towards the front step of the house and rang the doorbell, hoping that Steve would be the one to answer. And he was. It was as if he'd been waiting by the door.

"Hey, Nat! Come in, I need to show you the house so we can start buying stuff and all." Steve grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.

Steve almost dragged her through the house, but Natasha was able to get a good idea of how it was like inside. The decoration was classic, it was a beautiful house. They climbed the stairs and he led her into his room.

He sighed and sat on the bed, "Please, sit."

Natasha chuckled a little. He seemed in such a hurry to get there and then all of a sudden he seemed so calm.

Natasha sat by his side and turned to face him, "Is your mum home?"

"Nope, she's going to stay at a spa for a couple days." He told her.

"I see. Smart move you pulled there."

"Well, she did need a little time to relax. I did her a favour."

"True." Natasha nodded, the things Steve told her and the things she saw all came back to her, "Now, we need to start setting up the place."

"Yes, it's still a bit early for that, don't you think?"

"No. We need to start prepping now. We start with the house. Are there any rooms you don't want anyone to enter? Any valuables you don't want anyone to have access to? Any breakables?" She asked.

"Well, there are a few things…" He muttered.

"Then we need to find a safe place for them. You need to know that people will enter every single room they have access to. And I mean _all_ of them. So, any jewels of your mum's have to be locked away. Money, credit cards, everything. In all rooms." She sighed, "And we should start as soon as possible."

"Okay, he nodded."

"Make a list of all there is in each room and we'll start."

 **~X~**

Natasha and Steve went through each and every room gathering everything. And not only did they get the valuables, but also knives that were too sharp and guns - apparently, the mayor had a collection of them. There was a shed outside the house in the garden where the gardener kept the supplies and locked the place.

It was only then that she was starting to realise how good it was for her mission that she was there. She went through the offices and the rooms, she saw everything and, if she wanted to do anything to the mayor, then a knowledge of the plant of the house was essential.

Outside, there was a complex of pools, various courts, the grass was of a green like she had never seen before in her life. A bit further away in the horizon, she could see that there were stables.

"I didn't know you had horses in here." She muttered.

"We do. Well, we used to, but then we don't really have the time to ride anymore, so keeping the horses was an unnecessary expense." He told her, "We have a couple dogs as well, they keep guard at night, but they will be chained during the party."

"Good choice." She nodded softly.

It took them three trips to the supermarket to take all that they needed back to his place. Dozens of bottles of vodka and tequila, can, bottles and gallons of beer, chips and doritos, disposable cups, shot cups and a ping pong table in case people wanted to play beer pong. They were stocked up.

"Do you drink, Steve?" Natasha asked him as he drove back.

"No… You see, my father is a drunk, he drinks a lot. And he gets violent. I despise him for that. I don't want to be like him, Nat." He shook his head. Natasha could tell that his words meant a lot, that it was really getting to him.

"You're not like your father, Steve." Ever so softly, she placed her left hand on top of his, that were grasping the steering wheel of the car tightly.

"Thank you, Nat." He muttered and lowered his head. She felt as if he'd say something like 'You don't understand' or 'You don't know what you're talking about' but he didn't. Then he raised his head again, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I mean it, Steve. You are a good man, a great guy." She told him, "And you know, even if you choose to drink tonight, I really don't believe that you will act the same way your dad does when he drinks."

Steve bit his lip and looked at her. His eyes scanned her face, looking for a sign that told him that she was lying to him, finding none, he turned his eyes away. As he considered her words and thought of them, she saw his face change. He did not reply, but his final expression was one of satisfaction, as if she'd helped him reach the conclusion he wanted. He really did seem to care about her opinion.

Natasha and Steve unloaded the car and put everything inside the house. The both of them set everything up, they put the drinks on the ice, put some of the red cups on the ping pong table along with the balls. It was beginning to darken outside, so turned the on the lights inside of the house and outside the place and set up a line on the garden so people wouldn't go too far and get lost on the property. They cleaned the pool and turned on the lights inside it, not only did it help with the lighting, but if people wanted to go for a dive, they would be able to. Back inside, they set up tables in the back of the living room and put the food there.

Natasha had taken a backpack to his house with her dress and some of her makeup and she got ready. She wore a tight, black, long sleeved dress with sequins all over. It had a low cut on the back, not too low, just low enough. She put on black scarpins and makeup on - dark eyes and light lips. She was ready to go. When she went down to meet Steve, it was still only the two of them there and she could feel his eyes all over her. He drowned on her curves of her body and the slight curl of her lips. But he blushed and looked away.

She actually expected that to happen, and then he peeked again. When she was finally standing by his side, her stilettos making a high pitched clicking sound on the wooden floor, he spoke.

"Well… Uh… We still have to set up the music…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes, of course," She remembered, "Give me a hand here, will you?"

She connected her phone to the huge speakers he had in the living room and put on her party playlist. With the music blasting and vibrating on their chests, they knew they were ready for it.

 **~X~**

As they expected, people started to arrive in groups about half an hour after the time they set for the party to begin. She watched from afar as Steve engaged in futile conversation with those around him and even introduced her to some people. When he was busy and the party was full enough for someone to not notice her wandering away from the main hall, she went upstairs and made her way towards his father's office. It was locked, but a lock was no match for her.

She picked the lock and closed the door quietly behind her. There was a big oak desk in the middle of the room, bookshelves, also made of oak were on both sides of the room, packed with books. Natasha went to the desk and started to go through the drawers. She was careful to leave everything in its place. Then she reached a locked drawer. The keyhole was quite rustic, so it was easy to pick, easier than the lock of the door. It was a file drawer and Natasha noticed the files were in alphabetical order.

"A, B… N… R. That's it." She muttered, "Ra… Romanoff…" She got the file and closed the drawer and locked it again.

Natasha slipped away from the room and locked the door behind her. She hadn't noticed just how much time she'd spent there, but she guessed it hadn't been long. Even so, the party was now packed with people. Some of them were already drunk, tumbling up and down the stairs, entering and exiting the bathrooms and rooms. The laughter and the conversation filled the house. She entered Steve's bedroom where she'd left her backpack and placed the files in it. Then she went to the main room.

As she made her way through the crowd to the bar, Natasha felt someone grab her arm. She turned around to face whoever did that and saw Steve standing there. He held a red cup in his hand and had a smug smile splattered all over his face. He was just starting to get drunk.

"Where were you?" He sounded completely fine.

"I was walking around the party. It's a success." She smiled at him.

"Yes!" His smile widened, and the smile told her that he hadn't drunk a single drop of alcohol, that he was just really happy that things were working out.

"Well, I was just going to get a drink."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Feel free." She chuckled.

They made their way through the crowd and got to the bar. Natasha had a few shots and made herself a sex on the beach with what she could find there. She started to drink and loosen up. But she couldn't get drunk, she had to be careful. Steve asked for a sip of her drink and ended up drinking the whole thing.

They went outside and stood by the pool, where a lot of people were already swimming. Some of Steve's friends gathered around them, all of them drunk and started small talk.

"Heyyy, Steve-o!" Brian wrapped his arm around Steve's neck.

"Natasha!" Tony came and wrapped his hand around her waist. And suddenly, with all the alcohol she drank, he seemed a tad more attractive than before.

"Tony!" She escaped his embrace swiftly and stood by Steve's side. An innocent and perhaps subconscious action that went unnoticed by those around them. Slowly, Steve moved his hand and placed it on the small of her back. His touch was soft and even a bit unsure, but it felt good anyhow. "How do you like the party?"

"Impressive…" His voice was hoarse, "For amateurs."

"Come on, Tony, as if you could do better with the same amount of money we spent."

"I can and I will." Tony snorted.

"You really are a snob huh?" Steve said.

"You really are rude huh?" Tony replied.

"I call 'em like I see 'em, Stark." Steve raised a brow and those who had gathered around to listen to the conversation let out a mocking hiss.

On that line, Stark left. He was a sore loser, but he knew when to give up.

"Let's go dancing, Nat." He pulled on her hand softly.

"Oh, but I don't dance." She bit her lip.

"Neither do I."

She allowed him to drag her to the living room where everyone was dancing. Her head was light and her body even more as they swayed. She lost herself in the rhythmic beat and somewhat distorted waves of the sound. Natasha could feel his touch on her waist and allowed herself to move closer to him. She could feel his gaze on her and her skin warmed up a bit. Natasha bit her lower lip while wrapping her own hands around his neck.

She looked up at him.

Their gazes met.

Their hearts thumped in their chests.

Their lips met.

In the crowd, no one saw it. Not amongst all the other people making out. The crowd made them invisible. No one noticed the two of them escaping to his room. He unlocked the room and closed the door behind them, leaving the music outside. He didn't turn on the lights at first, he walked towards the bed and turned on the small lamp by his bedside table. The lighting was dim and made everything even more appealing. Natasha walked towards him slowly, watching as he took off his shoes.

Now, the music was but a faint murmur, they could feel the beat of the music making every cell on their bodies vibrate, resonate accordingly to the music, but the sound that filled the room was that of their eager kisses. She was thirsty for him, for his touch and for his lips and she felt he was too. It was carnal and yet soft, but his touch burned her skin, making her feel like she was something more than a one night stand.

She bit his lower lip softly and put both her hands underneath her shirt, scratching his back softly. Natasha started to take her dress off, breaking the kiss. Steve mimicked her movements, he took off his shirt, giving her a full look of his perfectly defined abdomen and arms. And Natasha knew he was also staring at her black lacy bra and her round breasts. She took off the rest of the dress, now standing before him only wearing her heels and the underwear.

She bit her lip, somewhat mesmerized by the scene. A small smirk played on her lips and she kissed him again. This time it was even more intense. They were already close to the bed, so she pushed him softly onto it. Steve looked slightly surprised, Natasha appreciated the view, to have him at her mercy, but it only lasted a second, because she wasn't able to resist the craving of having his lips against hers. She sat on his lap and kissed him again, rocking her hips softly and rejoicing upon feeling the soft moan that

he let out inside her mouth. He broke the kiss and planted small kisses on her jawline and neck. Natasha dug her fingernails on his skin. Letting out a sigh of pure bliss. Her hips moved again, this time involuntarily and, when she looked at Steve's face, something had changed. She had managed to break the fine barrier that contained the animal side of Steve Rogers.

Natasha lowered her body so she was kneeling before him on the ground. She removed his belt and unzipped his pants, pulling them down. The black boxers he wore barely managed to contain Steve's erection. She placed her hand on top of it, and he let out a hiss of pleasure. The redhead looked at him through her lashes and finally took of the last piece of cloth covering his body. Natasha sighed, satisfied with the sight. Just as she expected, he was quite big.

When she looked at him, she found that he was looking away. His face was red, dark red. She chuckled and looked back at his penis. Natasha cupped it with one hand and licked him from the base to the top, closing her lips around the head. Her hands moved to the base, as she wasn't sure she could fit all of it inside her mouth. Then she finally lowered her head. She heard him mutter a curse and saw his grip on the sheets tighten.

He threw his head back in fits of ecstasy. She could see how much he was holding back, he didn't grab her hair and guided her. And that broke her inside because it showed her that he cared. And while Natasha didn't know if he cared solely about her or if it was something that applied to everyone, it made her feel weird.

"FUCK! I... I'm gonna..." He shouted. She could taste the pre cum in her mouth and lowered her head even more, deep throating him. He moved his hips even further up her mouth and she felt tears gather in her closed eyes.

Natasha pulled her head up, his dick almost leaving her mouth completely. And then swallowed it again, this time he came.

The loud moan that left his mouth as she felt the warm, salty liquid hitting the back of her throat was quite satisfying, she prided herself on knowing how to make men cum . It was thick and she had to do her best not to choke. Natasha swallowed it with some difficulty and stood again. Steve was now sitting and he grabbed her by the waist pulling her closer to him and kissed her. Through the fine material of her underwear, she could feel his cock brush her already wet entrance. Natasha moaned softly at the feeling, the sound was trapped inside his mouth.

She unclasped her bra and took it off, exposing her breasts to him. Steve touched them softly, as if he was waiting for her to approve. He continued fondling them, his thumbs brushing and caressing the nipples softly. She moved her hips involuntarily as a shiver of pleasure went down her spine. Natasha kissed him, wrapping her hands around his neck, savouring his lips. She could feel him taking off her panties softly, his chest pressed against hers. Now that they were free of all their clothing - only her heels were still on - Steve flipped them.

For a moment, he did nothing but look at her and she looked at him, admiring his beauty, loving to have him on top of her. Natasha smiled, her hands around his neck, she pulled his face closer and kissed him, it was her sign for him to continue and he didn't need another one. He entered her slowly and she could feel her insides spreading. Because of his size, there was the perfect mix of pain and pleasure. Finally, when Steve was fully inside her, he broke the kiss and stood still for a moment. Natasha could feel his dick pulsating inside her, his breath against the sensitive skin of her neck. She moved her hips and her name left his lips.

And then he began to move, he started slowly, pulling almost everything out and then pushing it back in. She knew he was just trying to be gentle, but, to her, it felt like he was teasing and she was far beyond that point, she needed him to move faster.

"Faster, Steve…" She demanded, "Fuck me faster."

Steve picked up the pace, she matched it, meeting his every stroke with her hips. Her lips were parted and she let out small breaths and sounds. It felt good, but it could feel better. He was still being too gentle.

"Fuck, Natasha…" He groaned, "I'm gonna…"

"Not yet, Steve." She moaned, panting.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him deeper and deeper inside her. When she felt him harden even more inside her, when she knew he was just about to cum, she flipped them so she was on top. She moved her hips up and down, straddling him, she threw her head back every time his dick hit that spot inside her. The sounds were crude, but she loved them.

The girl looked down at him and bit her lip. He looked at her, mesmerized, as if she was some sort of goddess. She smiled a little and continued, opening her mouth.

Natasha could feel her orgasm starting to build up. She reached for her clitoris and massaged it in small circles, closing her eyes. She was close, so close, but so was he and she knew that if he finished before her it would be horrible. She felt her insides tighten and let out a small gasp at the feeling. The redhead watched as Steve flexed his abdomen and a groan of bliss left his mouth. She couldn't think straight anymore, longing for her release. The sounds she let out were incoherent and his tight grip on her, the way he brushed his thumb against the bones of her hips was even more arousing. He was finally letting go.

She moaned loud and tightened even more, reaching her release. It was like a shock, an electric current running through her body, it went up and down her spine making every single cell in her body tremble in pleasure. Steve flipped them again, this time, he held her hands above her head, pinning her to the bed. He fucked her fast and hard, completely forgetting about everything uncaging the animal inside him.

His grip on her hands tightened, she knew he was about to cum. She moved her hips even more, doing everything she could to stimulate him even more. Then she felt the perfect sensation of warm fullness take over her body. And then Steve relaxed. He moved to the side so he wouldn't crush her with his weight and tried to breathe normally.

"We didn't use a condom…" He muttered.

"I'm on the pill." Natasha replied, she kicked off her heels and rolled on the bed, with her stomach pressing against the mattress. She looked at him, "Were you a virgin?"

"I… Yes…" Steve ran a hand through his hair, there were small droplets of sweat on his head and his cheeks were flushed. He looked even better like that, she thought, "Was it _that_ obvious?"

"Not really." She lied, "I was just curious, that's all."

Natasha scooted on closer to him and rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his body. Their faces were dangerously close.

He let out a small sigh of satisfaction and closed his eyes for a brief period of time. And then he moved on the bed, taking her with him, so his head was resting on the pillow. He pulled the covers over them.

But the loud music blasting downstairs was a constant reminder of the party and that Steve had to get back to it.

"We have to go downstairs," He said.

"Yeah, we do." She agreed. I just have to clean up."

Natasha took a deep breath and then she stood. She went into the bathroom of his suite and washed herself quickly before applying the makeup that had smudged again.

When she walked back into the room, he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the party was a weird blur. She remembered drinking some more and flirting with Stark and also with one of Steve's friends, she just didn't know exactly who even though he told her his name. She remembered making out with him and his breathing against her neck. She remembered his dark hair tickling the insides of her thighs. She remembered coming for him and making him come in return. She remembered sloppy kisses and sloppy sex before both parted ways.

After that, she remembered nothing.

 **~X~**

Natasha woke up early, way earlier than Steve. She blinked lazily and looked around. Then she realized where she was. Strangely enough, it didn't bother her half as much as she thought it should. It was the first time she stayed over at someone's place. After all the one night stands she had, Natasha chose to stay over exactly at the place of one of the people she was supposed to hate almost as most as she hated his father.

Her head rested against Steve's chest and light came through the thin fabric of the curtains, forcing her to close her eyes again. Natasha felt good in his arms, she didn't want to, but, slowly she rolled, unwrapping from his arms. Then she stood, she had to start to gather her clothes that were all over the room. She put them in her backpack and changed into the clothes she'd brought with her, glancing at the files she took, checking to see if they were still safe in her bag. She headed to the bathroom where she took off the makeup and washed her face.

When she was done, Steve was just waking up.

"Mornin'." He groaned. There was a small smile on his face.

"Good morning." Natasha was extremely uncomfortable. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Sleep well? Wait. What time is it?" He said as he sat up.

"It's 11:30."

"My mom, gets here in three hours. We need to clean up the house."

"Let's get to work then." Natasha said.

They left the room and began tidying up the house. There were cups and stains and clothes and even a piece of a broken tooth. Drunk people hadn't broken many things, at least not the expensive ones and there were no people passed out anywhere near the house. They sweeped the floor and cleaned up everything before bringing all the things they had locked away in the shed, where the gardener kept his supplies. They split up and put all the things back where they were before. All that, they did immersed in an awkward silence. She felt as if Steve was too scared to talk to her, but she didn't care, she needed to get out of that house. She needed to breathe.

"Well, uh. I gotta go now. See you tomorrow, Steve." She smiled as she left the house with her backpack.

"Bye, Nat." He smiled a shy smile.

As soon as she drove away, she knew she had to go as far from there as she could, she needed to put get herself together. She went out of town, to a bigger one nearby where Clint lived. She parked on the street near a coffee shop and called her friend.

"Clint, I'm one block away from your house. At the coffee shop."

"I'll be right there."

Natasha went inside and got a table, she ordered a cinnamon roll and an espresso. She tapped her nails on the hard surface, impatient. What was taking Clint so long? She started eating when her phone rumbled on the table. She looked at the screen.

'Hey, Nat.' - it was Steve.

Why? Why did her heart skip a beat when she read that? Was it because all they had done the night before came back to her? His voice filling the room… His hair sliding through her fingers… No. It wasn't - she tried to convince herself - It was just because she was expecting Clint to arrive.

"Hey, Tasha." He smiled as he sat before her. He placed his caramel mocha on the table.

"Took you long enough." She said playfully.

"Yeah, it did." He laughed. Then he stopped, he looked concerned "Are you okay?"

"I… Something happened last night, Clint."

"At the party? Did someone do anything to you?"

"No… Well, yes… I… I had sex with Steve." Natasha bit her lip.

"What? You what?" His eyes widened.

"I know, I know."

"How did you go from hating the guy to having sex with him?"

"I don't know, Clint… I just…" She couldn't find the words, she was suffocating on imaginary smoke, "Can we go outside for a moment?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course."

Clint knew her. He was her brother. They were both on the same orphanage at the same time and ever since she could remember they were together. Even now, when they lived in separate towns they always met and they always hung out. He meant so much to her.

The air was chilly outside, but she didn't care.

"Tasha, you know I'm not going to judge you, I don't do that. Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt." Clint said, "I know you hate the mayor and I know you want to hurt him just as bad as he hurt you. If you hurt the mayor, you hurt Steve. If you care about Steve, and he cares about you, then I'm not sure he is ever going to forgive you."

"I know, Clint." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I haven't been through the same things you have. Not by far. But even so, no matter how angry you are, or how badly hurt you get. Are you sure it's so important to you that you must tear apart the life of someone you care about? Make him go through the same things you did? Make him suffer as much as you did and still do?"

Natasha stopped and stared into Clint's eyes. He was right. She was starting to care about Steve. But was that feeling stronger than her hatred for the man who destroyed her completely?

"He broke me, Clint…" Natasha felt tears gather, "That fucking man made me into this fucking broken person I am… And yet… so many people still love him and like him. And I'm all alone."

Clint wrapped his arms around her. In his embrace she found safety, "You're not alone, Tasha. I'm here for you."

 **~X~**

Natasha drove back home. As she drove, she listened to classical music. It was soothing. When she got to the house, the place was empty. It was already dark. She felt so small, so alone. Natasha didn't feel like reading the files, she wasn't in the mood for that. But She wanted someone to be there with her, to hold her while she slept just like Steve had done that night.

Natasha went to her room and had a shower, then she put on shorts and an oversized hoodie she'd stolen from Clint a while ago. Then she laid on the bed.

'Hey.' Her phone beeped. It was Steve.

She decided it was only fair that she texted him back. Yeah… It had been a special moment for him. And for her too, as much as she didn't want to admit.

'Hey, Steve.' She texted back.

'How are you?' he was quick to answer.

'Fine and you?'

'Me too'

'Steve' She was desperate, 'can you come over?'

She closed her eyes as she pressed send. She didn't want to see the damage she'd done.

'Yeah,' Steve asked, 'Is everything okay?'

'Yes' She wrote.

That should be enough for him to just come. Natasha didn't want to have to explain to him. She didn't want to have to tell him how lonely she felt and why she felt lonely like that.

15 minutes later, Steve was knocking on the door.

Natasha was already starting to regret telling him to come over, but it was too late to change her mind.

"Hey." She ran a hand through her hair, "Come in."

"Is everything okay, Nat?"

"Uhm… I was just lonely." She said, "Come on up, we can sit in my room. It's more comfortable."

He followed her upstairs. His gaze on her tinted her cheeks a light red. All the while they walked, Steve said nothing. Not that Natasha cared. If he attempted to make small talk with her, she would be really annoyed. So yeah, she was happy he didn't speak.

She closed her room's door and watched as Steve looked around, taking in the surroundings. The room was quite big, but she didn't decorate it so much. The wall behind her bed was dark blue and there were wooden shelves packed with books. There was only a small space for her closet. She had a bedside table to the left side of her queen size bed with a small lamp on it. A table with her computer where she did her homework and that was it.

That was the way Natasha liked her things, minimalistic, simple, nothing too fancy.

"How's your mom?" She asked.

"She's better. My dad gets back tomorrow, so she's also a little bit uneasy."

"I see…" She sighed, "Can I ask you something, Steve?"

"Yeah… I guess."

"If your dad is that bad, why are you still with him? Why haven't you just left."

She watched as his expression changed. It was much darker. Natasha wondered if she should have asked that. Perhaps she shouldn't have. After a few moments of silence she gave up on waiting for an answer, but then he finally spoke.

"He's a good man, Natasha. He went to war and he suffers from PTSD. I don't mean to justify his behaviour, but he's been through and lot. He's always there for my mom when she needs it and he supports me in what I do. He's a good neighbor and he throws amazing barbecues..." He muttered, he was making excuses. She didn't get it, how could people like a man like that? Didn't they suspect? Didn't they know?

Of course Natasha disagreed with every single thing he said, she didn't think there was any valid excuse to hit a wife or to kill someone else's parents. She stopped for a second, that was exactly what she planned on doing. Besides, she knew the mayor killed her parents, people in town suspected it, but his facade was too good for her to even think about shattering it. Not without shattering Steve too.

She swallowed hard. She had to do what she had to do. It was part of life.

"Can I lay on the bed?" He asked, Natasha nodded, quiet. She watched as Steve laid back on the bed.

Natasha laid on the bed next to him. They said nothing and she placed her head on his chest, a little hesitant. After ten minutes he was snoring softly. It was early, 7 p.m, but she guessed he was tired from the party and the night before.

She stood and turned off the lights, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, even if she wanted to, Natasha went back to bed again. It was just because she wanted to be close to Steve. Something about his presence made her feel safe. And she loved and hated it at the same time.

She could have chosen anyone to like, anyone to fuck and chat and date, but she chose Steve. The son of her enemy. All her life she had been running from relationships, from getting attached to people. She felt like she was nothing but a one night stand, she believed that. But he made her feel different. He made her feel something. She wasn't sure she liked it.

On that thought, she left her room and went downstairs. She got her computer, sat on the couch and started reading a few articles while listening to music. The living room was dark, the only lights came from the windows and the computer.

Natasha closed her eyes for a second, letting the heavenly sound of the song she was listening to flood her soul and send shivers down her spine. Natasha felt her heart tighten in fear when she thought of the possibility of Steve liking her, falling for her. She was scared.

And she didn't notice the footsteps coming down the stairs, Natasha only realized there was someone by her side on the couch when he touched her shoulder, breaking the trance.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What the-" She gasped and closed her computer in a whim, "Steve! Don't do that."

"Sorry, I was lonely upstairs." He laughed and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I see how it is." Natasha giggled and put her computer on the small table on the centre of the living room.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his lap, kissing her again, this time more passionately. She felt some sort of spark ignite inside her. His hands went up her neck and he gripped her hair tightly. Natasha let out a small moan inside his mouth. She continued to kiss him, his soft lips against hers felt amazing. She was eager for his touch and to feel him inside her. She rocked her hips against his and he pressed his body against hers even more. Natasha wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his neck, nibbling at his earlobe.

Natasha rolled her hips, grinding against him. She ran her fingers through his soft hair and felt him shiver. While she knew it was not in his nature to be aggressive. She could tell that he couldn't control himself much longer when he threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled, exposing her neck to him. He kissed and bit lightly, always a little bit hesitant, trying to to hurt her.

Steve removed his shirt and Natasha did the same, revealing a lacy dark blue bra, that contrasted against her skin. She proceeded to in unclasp it, but the way Steve looked at it made her think twice.

He ran his hand over her stomach and her chest and her neck, sending goosebumps down her spine, pleasant shivers that made her want more. She bit her lower lip to hide the gasp that wanted to leave her mouth most desperately. She moved her hips again and heard him groan. A low guttural sound.

Mimicking his motions, she touched his chest and his stomach, she ran her fingers up his neck and grasped his hair. Looking at him, all flustered before her, made her think she looked the same way. His eyes were blue no more, swallowed by the black of his pupils.

Her hands travelled down, to his pants. She could feel his erection pressing against her palm, she grinned and began to unzip his pants, lifting her hips to gain better access to him. Natasha wrapped her hand around his dick and heard him moan. Slowly, she began to move her hand up and down, never actually touching him directly. He was tense, a good kind of tense, and the grip he had on her hips was a mix of pain and pleasure.

She knew he was trying to hold back, to last longer, but she was only teasing, she was in control, he would only cum if she let him. Natasha circled the head of his dick with her thumb and felt the pre cum spot his underwear with a small dot. And then she stopped and moved her hand so she was touching him inside his boxers. The sound he let out was louder than the ones she heard before.

He groaned and panted as he became harder under her touch. With a few more strokes, when he was about to cum, she stopped.

He gasped in surprise and looked a little bothered, but he was too nice to complain.

He took off his pants and boxers and Natasha took off hers, she proceeded to slide her panties off. Natasha lowered herself and Steve filled her all at once, spreading her walls a little bit more than she was accustomed to. In truth, she was expecting him to cum right after he entered her, but she underestimated him. Natasha began to move slowly, rising up and down teasing him and making sure that the head of his dick brushed her g-spot with every movement. She moaned lowly on his ear.

"Oh, fuck…" Was his response. Steve raised his hips, all the control from before disappearing as he laid her down on the couch.

He picked up the pace, slamming into her, fast and hard. She met his every stroke with her hips, pushing him deeper inside her, digging her heels on the small of his back. She began to massage her clit in quick circular motions as he grunted and moaned atop of her. The sound of it was arousing, it made her body tingle. She moaned when he kissed her neck, the feeling of it, made her head even lighter. That was her weak spot and he was quick to realize that.

As he thrusted, Natasha could feel small waves of electricity shooting through her body, she was nearing the edge. Seeking the whole of the pleasure he could give her, she his name repeatedly.

"Steve… You feel so good inside me." Natasha all but moaned to him in an attempt to tease him and make him go faster. She needed him to go faster, she was so close...

He hardened inside of her and the scent of him, the feeling of his skin against hers, slippery with sweat, his hot breath against her skin, all that wasn't enough. She needed more

"Harder... " she begged in a moan and Steve obliged. He seemed quite satisfied with her being at his mercy as she was that moment.

She rolled her hips against his, feeling herself nearing the edge and, whilst he moved faster, she moved more erratically.

And, with a last stroke, hard enough to knock her bones out of alignment, Natasha tightened around him, screaming his name, her muscles limb n a wave of bliss. She was pretty much out of her senses, but she wasn't done until he was. And, no matter however much she just wanted to lay down and sleep, she kept moving along with him, trying to keep up with his pace amidst the haze of another orgasm building inside her.

"Fuck, Natasha, you feel so good around me." He muttered much to her surprise. His words were quite arousing.

With his head buried on the crook of her neck, she could feel his breath against the skin and shivered under his touch. It didn't take him long to realise that her neck was quite sensitive and he bit on it, leaving a red mark. When she felt his lips, she dug her nails on the back of his neck and moaned lightly.

Her breathing quickened, Natasha was going to come again. Her hips moving against his in desperate attempts to have him deeper.

Steve kissed her and she ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. He bit on her bottom lip and she moaned, the sound travelling through both their bodies, sending small waves of pleasure. Her breathing got heavier and just like that she came again.

"Oh, fuck…" She moaned as he kept going.

With a few more strokes, he came inside her. Natasha enjoyed the warmth inside her, trying to get her breathing to steady pace.

He relaxed, letting his body rest against hers, but not so heavy as to crush her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as both of them panted. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. She took a deep breath, actually enjoying the contact between the two of them. She nibbled on his earlobe playfully and he smiled at her before, moving away from her and sitting on the couch.

Natasha stood and ran a hand through her hair before standing and walking to the bathroom on the second floor.

She locked herself in there and she looked at her reflection in the mirror before she turned on the hot water. It was if there was this tension between them, like electricity, she thought as she washed herself. They'd done it again. And now she didn't have an excuse for it, she couldn't blame the alcohol or a mental state she was in. She was fine, she made that choice. She didn't exactly know whether it had been good or bad. And she also wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

What she'd been doing with Steve was reckless. She needed to end it, to cut it by the root before it became something more, something she could no longer control.

Natasha left the bathroom and entered her room, sure of herself, convinced she would be able to do the right thing, ready to talk to Steve and end it all. She had already thought of the words, of the whole speech. Nothing could go wrong.

But when she saw his smile. She forgot all she was going to say.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello! It's been such a long time since I last update this story, I'm sooo sorry, but I've been too busy to even function.**

 **Now to make up for my absence, I've changed up the story from the first chapters, so it's somewhat different from what you know. If you haven't read the edits, this chapter might not make much sense. But ok, you choose.**

 **On that note, pls enjoy :)**

 **P.S. Don't forget to leave reviews**

 **~X~**

There was no need for an alarm, waking up next to someone was a foreign, but not completely unwelcome sensation. That was, until she realised who laid by her side. Slowly, Natasha relieved herself from Steve's hold and proceeded to choose her clothes for the day before going to the bathroom to shower.

When she examined herself in the mirror, she took notice of the hickeys on her neck - which were expected - tokens of her nightly activities with Steve. She stared at her face carefully. She had changed. Although were dark circles under her eyes, they had always been there, but her face glowed and her lips were of a darker shade of red, she looked healthier, a bit more alive. The girl touched her skin on her cheeks softly, with some sort of unspoken admiration and tied up her hair so she could shower.

Whilst the cold water ran down her body, sending shivers down her spine, she reflected. Natasha liked her new look, yet she wasn't sure how she felt about the reason of it. She remembered having read somewhere that the changes on mood showed on the body, her skin glowed because she was happy, she felt happy. And she knew that was true, she had never felt more alive in her life.. But if Steve was the cause of those changes, what did it say about her? For a person who had always prided on being cold and hard to crack, it meant she was doing an awfully poor job at it. It meant that she was easy to break. That she was willing to break at the smallest sign that someone cared about her. And it bothered her deeply.

Therefore, she decided not to dwell on those subjects any longer.

She dressed up in a pair of skinny jeans and a grey shirt that was flowy while flattering her figure before going downstairs to cook breakfast. Her hair still styled in a bun.

She was making pancakes when she heard steps behind her and turned to face Steve while she finished the pancakes.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" she asked with a smile

"Very well, and you?" he replied whilst stretching his arms. He was wearing a shirt, but Natasha could see every muscle tense and then relax. She looked back at the pan.

"Same." she placed the pancakes on their plates, "Let me know if you want anything else."

"Well… I could use some cereal and milk." He smiled shyly.

"We have froot loops and corn flakes," She announced and opened the cupboard. "which ones do you want?"

"I'm gonna go with froot loops, please." He asked and Natasha placed it in front of him along with the milk, then she got him a bowl.

Natasha sat in front of Steve and ate her pancakes slowly, staring at him from time to time.

"What do you think people will be saying about the party?" Steve asked suddenly.

"I think you threw a really good party, I mean, I got to get almost black out drunk, so it was a hell of a good party for me." Natasha laughed.

"Was that the best part?" He teased and stood, walking to her.

When he was behind her, he touched her neck, trailing the dark bruises with his finger. She shivered and looked at him. A small smile parted her lips and she stood. Natasha wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He deepened the kiss and lifted her so she could sit on the table, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Shirt." She broke the kiss, "Steve, we're going to be late."

"Fuck, I have to get ready."

"You can brush your teeth, I have extra toothbrushes inside the cabinet."

"Thanks." He smiled at her and went upstairs.

Natasha stared at her plate for a moment, trying to process the information of all that had just happened before.

She didn't want to go. Being inside the house, in that sunny morning eating pancakes and cereal with Steve was so much better than going to school and knowing what everyone said. Being there was like a dream, especially after spending the whole weekend with him. Leaving the house, driving to school with Steve would break it. The way she felt at that moment, if she could, she would capture it forever and never let go. It felt like peace.

And yet, she did. She was scared of what Steve was doing to her, she was scared of how she felt and how she just wanted to stay with him and have him fuck her on the table at 7:30 in the morning. She shook her head. Perhaps she was just confusing lust with something else.

She finished her pancakes in a hurry and went upstairs.

After brushing her teeth, she found him in her room fully dress and with his backpack hanging on one shoulder. She was ready as well.

"Shall we go?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded and they went downstairs.

 **~X~**

She drove fast, trying to get to the campus in time, but there was something of a traffic jam and they were late.

"So much for trying." She shrugged and sighed, "We can still make it to second period though."

"Don't worry." Steve said and ran a hand through his hair, "But… since we are already late, how 'bout we finish what we started on your table?"

Natasha looked at him with a smirk. "I'm not contrary to it. Just let's go somewhere more private."

"I know just the place."

Natasha locked the car and followed him into the school's old building - one that was hardly used anymore - where the gym was. They locked themselves inside an old music classroom and started to kiss.

He cornered her against a wall and left more bruises on her neck. Natasha undid his pants and kneeled before him. She looked up at him and smiled before she freed his cock from the tight confines of his jeans. He was already hard and she took him in her mouth.

There was an audible groan from him as she began to move her head up and down his length. Steve grabbed her hair and guided her head. Normally, she would get really and dry over that, but she was so into it she didn't even mind.

She circled her tongue on the head of his cock and he tightened his grip on her hair, she then ran her tongue over the length and swallowed his dick whole. She closed her eyes, which began to water, but she knew he was close, so she did it again.

"I'm going to…" Steve announced.

But as soon and he came inside her mouth, the doors opened and a janitor came in.

Surprised, Natasha choked on the warm liquid, she managed to swallow it, but she started to cough right after.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm sending you both to talk to the principal's office." The man said as he strided into the room.

Natasha coughed and stood while Steve was trying to pull up his pants. Still gasping for air, Natasha analyzed the janitor's every move, waiting for the perfect timing.

"Look, Mr., we're so, so sorry, please don't make us talk to the principal." Natasha pleaded as she tried to recompose herself. She could see Steve looking at her confused.

"Yes, please, don't." He said too.

"I'm sorry, but rules are you. You are skipping class to do… this…" the janitor looked disgusted and took a few more steps towards them. "You must be corrected, sent in the right path, I'm not just going to let this pass, I can't, it's my Christian duty."

Clearly he saw himself as their saviour. Looking at him, Natasha knew the middle aged man wouldn't be able to keep up with them if they started to run. So she waited until he was close enough to them, but far enough from the door so there was space for them to run outside the door.

Natasha started a mental countdown before looking at Steve and whispering "Run."

She avoided the janitor as she made it to the door. She could hear Steve's footsteps behind her as they ran through the corridors, they couldn't leave just yet, they had to hide in the building until he gave up on looking for them and thought they had somehow left the building without him noticing it.

But then she realized there was a way to do that, they had to get out through the windows and make their way to the school using the hidden path through the woods. There was no way he knew about it, it was a secret kept by the students. It was really well kept.

Natasha looked back, the man was well behind. She took a sharp turn right and followed Steve as he took another sharp turn on an intersection, he chose to go left. It led them to hallway with a lot of old classrooms. Knowing they were likely out of his sight and would struggle to find them anyway, they slowed down and entered one of the classrooms.

"So," Natasha tried to catch her breath, "We can leave through the windows and use the path in the forest."

"It's a good idea." Steve nodded and walked to one of the windows, forcing it to open. The both passed through it.

"Close it again, so he won't know which how we escaped." She told him and he closed it.

They ran as fast as they could towards the forest and disappeared in between the trees.

"Shit." Natasha looked at her phone, "we're almost late for second period. If we run we might make it in time."

 **~X~**

They managed to get there in time for the second period. She tried to catch her breath by Steve's side .

"See you around, then." She finally said. "Will you be needing a ride back?"

"I think so, I'll talk to Buck, if he's brought the car then I'll come back with him. I'll text you." He waved and walked into the school.

Walked towards the bleachers as she searched through her purse for a cigarette. She ran a hand through her now wet hair and looked up noticing that there was also a boy there, wearing a blue and red football jacket and aviators. His hair was dark and through his sunglasses she could see the look of despise in his eyes when he saw her. Nothing new.

He seemed oddly familiar, maybe of Steve's friends from the party. But a voice in the back of her head told her there was something more.

Still, she approached him, she got herself a cigarette and asked, "Can you light it up for me?"

"Sure." He got his lighter.

"Thanks." Natasha inhaled the smoke with guilt and turned her back on the guy, walking away.

"Hey." He called and she looked at him again. "Natasha, you better stay away from Steve. If you hurt him, in any way I'll make you regret it."

That voice. It was Buck, as Steve called him. The same one who'd called her a slut, who'd called her an arsonist.

"I'll keep that in mind." She turned around and smiled, "Thanks for the warning though. _Buck_."

"It's James for you." He replied. There was some sort of anger in his voice, even though she couldn't figure out what bothered him so.

"Okay, thanks for the warning, James." She smiled again.

Enjoying the look of shock on his face, she turned away and continued to walk away.

As soon as she was far enough from him, she threw the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. A feeling of tiredness began to wash over Natasha. She was tired of all that, of that life and that people who seemed to hate her for no reason. Now she couldn't even make friends and people began to threaten her. Surely, she wouldn't let James' threat stop her. Since when did she care about what others thought of her or her behavior?

The bell rang and she went to class.

 **~X~**

Playing with an apple, Natasha crossed the cafeteria, making her way outside, just as she'd always done since she was young. Invisible. She was almost at the door when she heard his voice.

"Natasha!"

All eyes on her. Again.

"Shit…" she muttered and turned around slowly to look at Steve, he was walking to her. The cafeteria went silent with the unexpected scene played once again.

"Come," he smiled, "Sit with me."

She was able to hear Stark chuckling. He knew, just as well as she did what the whole thing meant. Her plan was working, he was falling for her.

Natasha followed him, despite of the looks, and sat by his side. Just opposite to Buck, a small smile played on her lips. Stark had followed them, pulling a chair from the table next to theirs, he sat by Natasha's side and looped his arm around her shoulders and she slipped away from his touch.

"So, the party was indeed a success. I must say, Steve-y, I'm surprised, " Stark leaned back on his chair, "I could hardly find you near the end of the party, where were you?"

'Probably with me.' Natasha thought, even though she wasn't sure that was true.

Natasha remembered flirting with Stark and shook her head almost unnoticeably.

"I was there, drinking, dancing, talking. Didn't you see me there?"

"No, I looked for you, I wanted to congratulate you for the amazing party." Stark smiled, "You see, I even asked your friends where you were, but no one had seen you."

Natasha felt Buck's angry eyes on her, luckily, no one else seemed to notice.

"You know, Stark, as the host, I had to take care of things. I don't have maids who do things for me. Maybe that's why you didn't see me that much." Steve lied.

Natasha just kept eating her apple, ignoring the whole situation, mentally scolding Steve for taking too long to answer, for allowing his voice to crack while he talked . But there was nothing she could do but feel glad no one noticed it.

 **~X~**

"You're fucking him, aren't you?" Buck walked by her side as she left class.

"I don't see how that concerns you." Natasha didn't face him.

"Well, he is my best friend, I want to know who he's getting involved with. What spell did you cast because I never managed to get him to do it with any other girl, no matter how hard I tried." He laughed bitterly, somehow, she felt that was a poor excuse to hide the truth.

"Oh well, I guess I'm a sorcerer now as well," Natasha shrugged. She didn't care for James, she didn't care about what he thought or said about her.

"Well, if we are going to be having lunch together, then we should at least try to get along." He muttered.

"Yes, why not?" She was so angry at how fake he was, but at the same time she felt like she had no right to feel so, Natasha was also playing everyone.

"You're friends with my best friend, I should at least make an effort." James sighed, clearly not wanting to do that, "Let's start over, shall we? I'm James, nice to meet you."

"I'm Natasha," She smiled at him, "how are you?"

"Fine and you?" James laughed, "well, I know we agreed on starting over, but we are past over _those_ kinds of questions, aren't we?"

"I guess we are," she ran a hand through her hair. Talking to him was weird, he was never someone she expected to even say hi to, "I saw you smoking today, I thought it was something you jocks weren't supposed to do."

"Well, I like to live dangerously." He shrugged.

"Then I guess you don't plan on getting a sports scholarship." She said.

"As if you're one to say," He punched her lightly on the shoulder, "You're on the gymnastics team and you smoke."

"Yeah, but I don't plan on getting a scholarship, I mean, I'm really good, but I don't have the will to spend six hours practicing so I can become the best." She adjusted the backpack strap on her shoulder and looked at him.

"Shame, I would have loved to see you in a leotard on national televison." He joked, "Why didn't you join the cheerleaders?"

"Go to hell, James." She laughed, "But really? The cheer team? You actually believe I would fit in there?"

"No." Both of them laughed and he ran his hand through his hair again.

"Well, thanks for the chat, but I have to go now."

"You have practice today, right?" He asked

"Yeah, I do." She nodded.

"So do we," he looked a little awkward, "What do you say we grab something to eat later? The whole team will be joining. "

"We'll see. I'll meet you after practice." She smiled at him and reached for her car keys on her backpack and walked away from him and towards her car.

Yes, her plan was working, she was going to fight her way into the mayor's house and life. And that was when she remembered she was yet to read the files she stole and put them back in place. She didn't know how often the mayor checked those and didn't want to find out the hard way when Steve was in trouble or he came to ask her about them.

She opened the trunk and got her bag before heading to the gymnasium.

 **~X~**

After practice, Steve and James walked to her.

"So, Nat, are you going to grab something to eat with us?" Steve asked.

"Sorry, guys, I can't," She lied, "Ivan arrives tomorrow and I have to clean the house and stuff."

"I see…" Steve seemed disappointed, "Another time, then."

"Another time. Maybe next Friday, I'll be free by then." Natasha smiled.

"Next Friday it is," James said, "Well, bye, Natasha."

"See you guys around." She opened the car and entered it.

" _I'm telling you, Steve that girl is playing you."_ Natasha heard James say.

" _And I'm telling you she isn't, Buck. Listen to me, I know she isn't."_ Steve answered.

" _Oh yeah? And how exactly do you know that, big boy? She's the only girl you've ever been with. Deep down you know I'm right."_ Natasha felt some sort of anger begin to form inside her. James was trying to ruin her.

She wanted to hear what Steve's answer to what James had just said. But they were already too far away for her to be able to hear it, so she turned on the engines and drove away.


End file.
